DUBLIN, Ga. — The Community Service Board of Middle Georgia is about to discuss creating a larger mental health crisis center.
Right now, people who require mental health crisis intervention come to the crisis stabilization unit at Quentin's place. The 24-hour/7 days-a-week service currently has 16 beds.
They provide support to adults who need psychiatric and detox services. Renee Moore with Quentin's Place says the expansion will help them serve more people.
"We're going to expand to 24 beds on our crisis unit. We will have a temporary observation unit that'll be also 16 beds, so we'll look to expand to a 40-bed unit total," Moore said. "That is huge to our community. It is a great need."
In 2022, Georgia passed the Mental Health Parity Act. The law authorizes how the state pays for critical mental health care.
Other cities expanding their crisis center are Atlanta and Augusta. A lump sum $24 million was budgeted for the beds and other crisis center resources.
In Central Georgia when someone is in crisis, they are evaluated at the Crisis Stabilization Unit. Their program at Quentin's place is "designed to provide responsive and caring services to people needing crisis intervention during some of their most difficult times."
Moore says the goal is to get people back into society.
"You may need a little bit higher level of services. So we're kind of that medium between 'You don't need to be hospitalized but I'm not quite, you know, stable enough for outpatient, so I'm going to come into crisis, get stable, and then I can venture out into something lower'," Moore said.
When someone is in a mental health crisis, law enforcement is called. Dublin Police Chief Keith Moon says it would help to be sure there are enough co-responders to call when someone in in crisis.
"Multiplying each others back up in the system to help combat these situations," Moon said.
When the new center is up and running, they will have the resources they need to help more people. Moon says one of the biggest things with the center.
"Of course, it will give us quick access to it, and I hope that it gives the surrounding cities and counties the same access and the same outlets," Moon said.
The Community Service Board serves people in Bleckley, Dodge, and Johnson along with other central Georgia counties.
A spokesperson from CSBMG told 13WMAZ meetings for the planning and development of the center will not begin until next month.